Members of the College Football Playoff (CFP) Board of Managers agreed to begin the new, expanded 12-team playoff in the 2024-2025 season.
“We are delighted with this move,” said Bill Hancock, executive director of the college football playoffs. “When the board expanded the playoffs from 2026 and asked the CFP steering committee to explore the feasibility of starting the new format earlier, the steering committee immediately got to work. More teams and more access means more excitement for fans, alumni, students, and student-athletes. We thank the officials responsible for the six bowl games and the two future venues of the National Championship Games for their cooperation. Everyone recognized that this change was in the best interest of college football and came together to make it happen.”
In 2024 and 2025, the four quarter-finals and the two playoff semi-finals will be played in alternating bowls. The 2024 quarterfinals will be played in the Fiesta Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, while the playoff semifinals will be played in the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl. The 2025 Quarterfinals will be held at the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, while the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl will host the playoff semifinals. Exact dates for all quarter-finals and semi-finals will be announced at a later date.
The National Championship Games will be held in Atlanta on January 20, 2025 and in Miami on January 19, 2026.
“On behalf of the steering committee and the board of directors, this is exciting,” Hancock added. “It has been a long process, but we are thrilled that from the 2024 season forward, more teams and more students will have the opportunity to compete for the national championship. A new era in college football is about to begin. I’m really looking forward to it.”
